For this example, I’m only looking at guys with ten or more stolen bases on the year, but you may want to dig a little deeper, as there are guys with less due to time already spent up with the big club, like Chicago’s Felix Pie for example. So what we’re looking for here is major league ready bats, or guys with opportunity coming due to injury.
The guy at the top of this list, Carlos Gomez, has been up since the 13th of May due to injuries in the Mets outfield, and now that Shawn Green has a broken foot, expect him to stay longer. He’s hit .250 with four RBIs and two stolen bases, though he tweaked a hamstring Saturday and has sat for a couple games. He should be good to go this week, and warrants a roster spot if you need the speed.
The third guy on the list, Reggie Abercrombie, has been up with the Marlins since the 12th of May and has been getting regular playing time in center field. He’s hit only .216 since then, but he’s also chipped in two home runs, five RBI, and four stolen bases. In his last two games, he ha’s gone two-for-eight, which is hardly spectacular, but he’s also stolen three bases with a walk, a home run, and an RBI. This is a guy that looks to be turning it on a bit. If you need speed, you can’t do better than three steals in two games.
So what about the rest of the guys on that list? What are we looking for then in terms of Major League ready bats? Aside from opportunity due to injury, what should you be looking for? A good place to start is plate discipline. Guys who make their money with their legs need to be on base to do so. The first thing I like to look at is K/BB ratio. Guys who strikeout all the time while taking few walks aren’t going to be on base all that much to take advantage of their speed. Abercrombie is a bit of an exception due to the Marlin’s extreme need for a center fielder. Generally a guy who strikes out four times more than he walks is going to have hard time getting to the show unless he has mammoth power. So within the context of this study, we’ll remove Josh Anderson, Robert Andino (blocked by Hanley Ramirez anyway), and Terry Evans on those grounds. The next thing to look at is on-base percentage. Again, to steal bases you need to be on the bases. Freddy Guzman (.342) and Brendan Ryan (.315) are at the bottom of the list, and even though those are horrible OBPs, Their low batting averages, lack of power, and successful steal percentages pretty much rule out their chances of getting a look anytime soon.
That leaves us with four players: Nathan Haynes, Joey Gathright, J.J. Furmaniak, and Wladimir Balentien.
Haynes was just called up yesterday by the Angels, after tearing it up at Triple-A Salt Lake. The caveat to keep in mind with Haynes though, is that he’s already 27 years old, and despite his great production in the minors, he doesn’t look to be more than a fifth outfielder at best once Garrett Anderson returns from injury. When a guy has to share time with Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Matthews Jr., Anderson and the already speedy Reggie Willits, his prospects for regular playing time are grim. He can’t be considered for fantasy rosters for those reasons.
Joey Gathright has already seen time in the majors with Tampa Bay and Kansas City, but his anemic bat has kept his speed from being a factor at the major league level. He’s doing extremely well for Triple-A Omaha right now, and will likely get the call at some point, should Kansas City need a reserve outfielder. His batting average, however, is inflated a bit by a very lucky .377 BABIP, and there’s always the possibility that Kansas City decides to give Billy Butler’s stone hands another shot in the outfield first. All that said, Gathright does warrant keeping an eye on, and if you have the roster space, you could do worse if you needed to take a gamble for some speed.
J.J. Furmaniak is another 27 year old journeyman who sits behind Bobby Crosby and Mark Ellis in the A’s farm system. He strikes out plenty, but that’s never been a detriment in the mind of Billy Beane so long as a guy can get on base. If the A’s were absolutely killed by injuries to the middle infield, this guy might see some major league at bats, but as it stands currently, you’re looking at a career Triple-A player that shouldn’t be considered an option.
Last but definitely not least, Wladimir Balentien. He’s a 22 year old outfielder in the Mariners system who is absolutely killing PCL pitching. He’s the Mariners’ right fielder of the future, and could take the job as early as next season. Should Jose Guillen find himself on the DL again in the near future, Balentien could definitely get a look, and is a strong add in keeper leagues.
I hope you can use this methodology in the future to help you dig up a few sleepers and mid-season category boosts. These guys are by no means the only options out there, but using these steps, you should be able to find a decent bat or two down the road.
